How to cross the road safely

We all know crossing the road can be dangerous. That’s why it’s so important to teach children to take extra care.

Go Safe! Ziggy’s Road Safety Mission includes lots of activities, stories, games and videos that will help you and your child practise how to cross the road safely. Explore these together and you will soon both know it off by heart. Here’s Ziggy’s guide to showing children how to cross the road safely...

Hold hands

Holding hands makes sure children don’t run off and you can cross the road safely together. If you’re pushing a buggy, you can get them to hold on to that instead.

Find the safest place to cross

Always cross in a place you can see the traffic coming from all directions. Parked cars make it hard to see clearly, so only ever cross between them if there is absolutely no other option.

The safest places to cross the road are:

Puffin and pelican crossings – push the button and wait for the green man. Ziggy learned all about these in his Zab-a-ding-a-wheeeeeeeeeeee adventure

Zebra crossings are marked with yellow beacons. Stand on the kerb to show drivers you want to cross, and wait for the traffic to stop

Footbridges and subways – these walkways run over and under the road to keep pedestrians and traffic separate

Traffic islands - pavement-like areas between lanes of big or busy roads, so you can safely cross one lane at a time

Stop, look and listen

These may seem like three simple steps, but each one is crucial:

Stopping gives you time to look properly

Looking helps you to find a safe gap in the traffic

Listening lets you hear any nearby vehicles that haven’t yet come into view

Every time you cross the road, even if you cross at a crossing, remember to stop, look and listen. Only cross when you are absolutely sure it is safe.

Cross straight over the road, never diagonally

If you cross the road diagonally you’re in the path of the traffic for longer. So it’s safest to cross directly from one side to the other.

Why not watch these videos with your child to help them understand why crossing the road safely is so important?